Livings of a Tactician
by LunaChi KuroShihone
Summary: Both Robins have grown tired of the daily norm in the mansion, so they decided to S-Support different Smashers. When Robin's eyes land on her godly friend, the tacticians start an investigation on said friend, in order to get her the best S-Support... But why are there feathers in the study? And what role do the Assist Trophies play? - Inspired by some Smashbros-Headcanons.


**The Livings of a Tactician**

Ever since being in the Smash Mansion, Robin – well, actually both Robin and Robin – has made it her purpose to reach as many supports as possible. She herself was on good terms with almost all of the fighters, which meant she had pretty good supports. Her other part/ male self/ whatever too, thus, one day they sat together at lunch and decided _Let's try out S-Support!_ Using her magic tome as a notebook -because, what else?- they set forth to find victims. They managed to quieten a little ongoing war between Zelda and Link, and both are the perfect couple they once were. Mario and Peach finally have some time together, since both Robins volunteered to create the table schedule for the matches. They'd discuss whom would fight against whom, and upon the reactions, make a good setup brawl-wise. This was going on for good three weeks, if not more, with great results: Bowser surprisingly goes along well with the Wii Fit Trainer, Ganondorf is more relaxed around _everyone_ and Samus has a current love triangle between herself, Little Mac and Captain Falcon. (Robin votes on Little Mac, but Robin thinks Falcon will win, since they know each other already pretty good)

Palutena makes their job hard though, since the goddess is flirting with about everything. And Robin really wants to find her friend a good Support, since the goddess helped her out in her own love-life. Thus, both decided -after many a much coffee and sleepless night- they'd pair Palutena up with the most promising sparring partner that catches their eye. And on this layout today's matches were set up: a team-battle tournament with changing partners. When met with raised eyebrows by Master Hand, she'd say it was for battle statistics; who could fight best with whom, who was bad against whom and the likes. And Robin and Robin would supervise it. Master Hand only smirked. After a very hard day of data-collecting, they had a handful of choices:

Little Mac was frustrated by their height difference, to which Palutena would tease him non stop.

Ganondorf was on her tease list as well, and she called him 'Ganny'

Luigi was seemingly awed by her style and she gave him a peck on the nose after they won the battle.

She seemed to get along perfectly fine with Lucina, as both had won against Link and Zelda.

She blushed at Shulk.

She and Pit were an unmatched pair, thought she'd teased him by breaking off his flight path.

Now, out of those six possible suitors Robin would rule out her daughter, to which the other Robin objected. This was settled when they saw in a later replay, that the dark winged angel smiled at her. Dark Pit never smiles. So it was agreed upon, that their next 'victim' would be Robins own flesh and blood. She was reassured by the fact that the dark angel looked alright – and was definitely a better choice than Inigo, that flirt. He'll be together with Cynthia sooner or later, anyway.

Little Mac was out of the question, since Robin hoped he'll get together with Samus. Luigi was out too, since both agreed that he'll get together with Rosalina. The little Lumas needed a father, after all. And Luigi was the right choice for that.

Everyone blushes at Shulk. Even guys. And to top it off, he has a girlfriend in his home world (That doesn't mean Robin won't try bring Shulk and her male counterpart/ mirror/ whatever together. Imagine the cuteness of those two bookworms).

Which means that they had to choose between the Evil Overlord and the angel. While Ganondorf seemed like a good and interesting choice, it was decided upon Pit. Robin didn't want something like her own life repeating, after all. And the angel was the perfect choice: they both knew each other for a very long time. He was obviously infatuated with her and the best part – if they'll reach S-Support, imagine the little child they'd have!

"Definitely with wings. A little angel-girl with fuzzy green hair and sky blue eyes. Very cute, smart, a good tactician and natural leader."

The other Robin agreed wholeheartedly. Pit was actually smarter than everyone gave him credit for. They'd often sit back and talk about strategies. While his strategical intellect wasn't as high as either Robins', it was sufficient enough to survive a battle with almost no casualties. He _was_ the head-tactician of the mansion, having taken the role during the Subspace Emissary. It granted him a special seat in the Original's meeting room, which never happened before. He also was general of an army, which meant he could command Smashers around, even if his friendly nature wouldn't let you think that. Robin snickered. It had happened only once, when they were out in Terra Firma exploring; a little group of Smashers got ambushed by wild monsters and badly hurt. It was a complete disaster, since most of the fighters were the younger children and the villains. Master Hand wanted to send a search-party, but the goddess assured him that Pit had everything under control. When the party arrived, there were no monsters anymore, and a completely functioning Phalanx was in it's place, completed with improvised weaponry and sick bay. To say both Robins had been impressed would be an understatement. After this day, they were the 'three tacticians', sometimes joined in by Shulk, the forth. _One Smasher-Tactician for all, and all Smasher-Tacticians for one!_

"How do you suppose we get them to Support?" male Robin asked over a drink the next day. "They obviously already have C-Rank. Even B, I think." female Robin was musing this over.

"Hm... I dare say they are already an A-Rank, no? They don't even need to speak to each other. It's almost like telepathy -which they share, mind you. No communication is needed, like with us and Lucina. No B-Rank is able to do this."

"Gods, Robin!" a frustrated look crept into male Robins face. "What if they're related? Then that would be too gross."

She shook her head. "Palutena isn't related to him. Her only relation is her sister."

"How do you know?"

"We talk a lot. We're neighbors, remember?"

both fell into silence after that, lost in thought. After a while, the male tactician spoke up again. "What if she isn't interested? I've never seen her advance on him or flirt with him, like, at all. And she flirts with every_thing_. She tried to flirt with Master Hand, for the Gods' sake! I wouldn't be surprised if she'll start advancing on some vegetables. Did you see how she looked at them?"

Robin looked annoyed over to her male companion. "Palutena is pan-sexual, not some sick minded idiot. And I think she simply doesn't do that to him because they know each other for, like, eons or so."

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry. It's still is strange seeing her flirt with Rosalina and then kiss Ganondorf. Wouldn't you think she'd take their feelings into consideration? Also, Pit sometimes simply stands there and does nothing against it. Not even... flinch."

Robin rolled her eyes. Sometimes her brother – no, cousin...that's right. Sometimes her cousin was so thick. "She's doing it for the fun of it, remember? That one time she flirted with Link in the open and kissed him in the middle of a match as a joke, when Zelda ran away crying, Palutena simply left the fight to go after Zelda. She was disqualified because of that in the Newcomers' tournament and lost score points, but Zelda was more important than that."

"You're right, I remember. Until then almost nobody liked her, because everyone thought she was stealing Link away from his princess. Huh, well. And nobody's ever fazed anymore when she goes around the mansion in her, _ahem,_ Zero-Suit." at that, Robin blushed. Sipping the rest of her drink, the female tactician spoke again. "Well, what do we do now? Simply setting them up in team-battles wont work, and a date is impossible..."

The other Robin stood up. "I think we should be passively watching them, talk to them without getting suspicious. Maybe getting a third party involved? I don't really know. This'll be our hardest case of Support in our history." The female also stood up. "If we solve this, we can solve everything! We married of our shyest, most woman-loathing member after all. This ought to be a piece of cake!"

Shaking their hands, both said in union "_May the best Support win!"_ and went separate ways. One went to her room, the other to the garden.

**Day1:**

Palutena currently taking a bath in the hot tub. Nothing to say here. Asked me if I wanted to join, politely declined. Kept her distance from vegetables at dinner. Said: _they are cruel little creatures_. Don't know why. Was very late in her room, when asked, she said late night smash. Investigated it. She went to the Assist Trophy department, will ask Chrom tomorrow why.

**Day2:**

Is sitting besides Pit today, all other seats were taken. Had a lively chat. _Very good_. No matches today, so she went to the library. Talked to her a little. Found out about carrots and rejuvenation potion. Was reading a book about 'η λογοτεχνική περιπέτεια του μαγειρέματος'

I have absolutely no idea what it means. Went missing for a few hours, in the meantime I asked Chrom what she wanted with the Assist Trophies. He answered:_She kinda visits every Thursday night. Every time she does, she visits someone else._ He couldn't give me an answer on who was visited until now, only that it was Midna last night. Searched for her; she left apparently on home-business. I have to ask her when she's back. When I went back, she came out of the studies. Curiously, I went in. Nothing out of the ordinary. Some papers were scattered around and a few blue feathers were laying here and there. Blue like Falco. Went to sleep.

**Day3:**

Nothing eventful happened. Confronted Falco about the feathers, he denies everything. Midna still not back. There were regular matches today, not much free time.

**Day4 and Day5:**

More matches and some other silly games. Noticed Palutena favoring Pit over everything else in games. Sits regularly besides him; both seem relaxed. Midna still not back. Had an interesting talk with two Assist Trophies who are from the same place: Magnus and Phosphora. They gave insight about the history of Palutena and Pit, about the watching and protecting of the humans and about something else noteworthy: _Since the Chaos Kin incident, Palutena started to behave strangely._

**Day6:**

Same as day 4 and 5. Nothing too interestingly. Saw some blue feathers again in the study. Falco still denies it. Palutena and Pit won at Scrabble and Monopoly. Was following her later into the direction of Master Hands office. Got interrupted by the Duck Hunt Dog, lost sight of her. Dog is now officially a part of the team. When I arrived at the office, nobody was there. Traces of magic in the air are indicating that someone used teleport. Master Hand looked surprised; he breathed erratically. I left the office. Back in my room, Palutena was already asleep.

The next day was the exchange of material. Both Robins met in the planning room again, accompanied by the Duck Hunt Dog. Petting the dog on the head, male Robin shook his own mop of hair. "I don't believe it. It almost sounds as if she has a weekly 'meeting' with the Assist Trophies. And had at least two meetings with Falco in the study. And this Chaos Kin Incident sounds suspicious, too." his female counterpart sighed. "We don't even know if its _that_."

"Well, it certainly looks like." the dog barked. "Pit mentioned this 'Chaos Kin' too."

Robins eyes glowed. "Really?"

Nodding, the other continued. "Indirectly. I asked him about back home -why he doesn't want to fight Palutena that often. His whole expression darkened. I swear by Naga, I've never seen such a dark look on his face. It put Ganondorf to shame. If I had to guess, this Chaos fellow had something to do with it."

Pondering over those words, Robin murmured. "Maybe he's an ex? And they got into a fight? And after he left, she was heartbroken?"

"Maybe."

The dog barked again. Looking over both entries, the female tactician asked. "If there is one thing for sure, then it's the fact that they care about each other. Especially Pit seems to really truly love her." another nod and another bark of affirmation. "...so how do we get them to S-Support? It seems kinda impossible. They are like this close" she motioned with her hands, which were almost parallel to each other, "but there's like an invisible border between them. It's frustrating! Even Frederick and Palne got together faster. And then there's this ugly secret with the Assist Trophies, the blue feathers and Master Hand and this Chaos Kin guy."

Folding his hands together, Robin continued. "I think we have to unravel the mysterious secret first. That's the border between them. I noticed something very interesting. Did you notice that Palutena keeps an emotional distance?"

"Emotional distance? How so?"

"Well, somehow...I think, well. She's playing around with everyone, but somehow there's something... off about it. I can't describe it really well. It's like she trusts us up till one point and then...yeah." He shrugged. It wasn't easy to describe it. The dog barked again. Thinking again, Robin took her notes back. "You are right. It's like she has her heart in it, but then again she doesn't. She's like, giving attention, but she totally blocks off when someone gives her affection back. She completely freezes. It happened once, you remember?"

"I do. Both angels had to calm her down and Pit looked on the verge of crying. Alright, conclusion: Palutena likes _teasing_ and _flirting_ with others, as long as there's no _feels_. But she's afraid of _sensual touches_ and _advancements_ on herself, to the point of completely shutting off. That leaves two questions:

1\. What about the Trophies and the study and

2\. What is her real face?

Did I get that about right? Is something missing?"

Going over everything in her head again, Robin shook it. "No, that should be everything. Huh, this Support is a lot more complicated than I thought. How will we advance?"

"Split up again? One looks after the mystery, the other tries to pair them up?"

There was another pause in their conversation after that, Robin tasting the words on her tongue. She didn't like the aroma of it. "No, dear Robin. I think this is something we'll have to find out mostly together. As a pair. If we find out which Palutena is the real, then we'll break that stupid bubble shield and we-_they'll_ get their S-Support!"

The dog barked again, nodding his head and wagging his tail. _Together. _

Leaving the room, both Robins headed to the lobby, in hopes of finding something interesting. On their way, they ran into Bowser Junior, who had a brawl against someone else. He was smiling in joy, which didn't go unnoticed by the Robins. "Did you win?"

The kid beamed with pride. "Nu-hu. I got him cornered from the beginning! It was in the last minute, he slipped up, I got the Smash Ball and then BOOM!" he gestured a wide ark with his small arms. Robin laughed. "Against whom?" "Dark Pit! I never beat him before!"

Patting Junior on the head, she smiled at him. "Dark Pit? Congrats-" _Dark Pit?_

_Dark winged angel twin of Pit!_

Both Robins crossed a look of surprise, looking at each other. "He's still at the teleporter?"

"Technically."

"Good, let's hurry!"

With that, both tacticians made a mad dash for the teleporter, hoping to catch the dark winged angel. Bowser Junior looked dumbfounded after them, muttering a confused "Uhm..bye?"

the dog snickered.

Running along the hallways of the mansion, something very important crossed Robins mind. _How are we going to convince Dark Pit to tell us something?!_ There was no time pondering that though, as they arrived at the teleportation chamber. The dark haired teen was currently talking to Lucina, who was smiling at him.

"... so nice of you to let him win. Bowser was so proud of Junior!"

"Meh, whatever. As long as he's happy." Lucina was still smiling as she saw the tacticians in the door. Looking surprised, she muttered a quick 'hello' and headed out of the room, her face having a crimson hue. Robin smirked. So her daughter _did_ actually like Dark Pit; that was a lot easier than a support from zero. The angel didn't look too amused, his usual scowl settling on his face as he polished his Dark Pit Staff. "What do you want? Did you come here telling me I'm not allowed to see your daughter anymore?"

"No such a thing, Dark Pit. We just came here to talk." the other Robin quipped in with: "It's completely alright if you want to visit Lucina. Maybe go on a date?" to which Robin shot her companion a dark look. Gulping slightly, male Robin turned his attention back to the angel.

"Listen, Dark Pit. We got some questions we'd like if you could answer them."

Looking blankly at both, he deadpanned. "This session hasn't got _anything_ to do with the fact that you are running around like some headless chicken playing cupid and matchmaker, has it?" at the blank stare he received, the angel sighed, putting down his weapon. "Your Final Smash is called _Pair Up._ And you-" looking at male Robin "-were just trying to set me up with her daughter. Also, both of you are running around solving relationship problems. And that team-battle tournament was also a facade, right? You people here are completely crazy!"

He was still receiving blank stares, since Robin and Robin hadn't thought that someone would notice. Now they needed a second plan. The female tactician smirked. "Checkmate, I guess." shrugging, she continued. "Actually, we – rather, I – am here because I'm worried about Palutena. He simply tagged along." motioning at Robin, who seemed to catch on.

This seemed to spark an interest in Dark Pit, since his eyes widened. Try as he might, he _was_ just as worried about the goddess of light as his light twin was. "What happened?" he hoped his voice didn't betray him. Shaking her head, Robin continued.

"Nothing, really. I was checking in on her last night before bed, and she was muttering something about a _Chaos Kin_ guy. I thought maybe you'd know who he is, since we tried asking Pit, but he completely blocked." _It isn't a complete lie,_ Robin mused,_ I just didn't hear it in her sleep, but rather from the assist trophies._

Dark Pit's look changed to one of utter terror for a split second, before it went back to it's default _'Snarl'_. He muttered a silent 'No wonder he blocked off' before answering louder. "The Chaos Kin... was a terrible incident that almost cost us three our lives." at the shocked expression on both' faces, he continued grimly. "We weren't aware of how terrible it was. Palutena suffered the most, being together with it for three years; three years that will forever be forgotten. In the end we had to fight it, but it almost killed me in the process. Pit saved me, but at the cost of his wings..." closing his eyes at the painful memory, the angel shuddered, willing it away. "Since then, nothing was the same. I mean, we won the war against the Underworld, but at the cost of our sanity... I think."

"Oh gods..."

"It changed us, too; Pit is terrified of any form of uncontrolled fire, Palutena gets these nightmares and me..." at that, Dark Pit fell silent. "...all of us have scars; there, are you satisfied?"

"Oh gods, Dark Pit... I'm so sorry I asked." Robin really felt sorry; she didn't imagine that this Chaos Kin would be such a terrible person. The angel shook his head, walking past the duo. Halting just outside the door frame, he looked back, speaking softly. "Don't be. It's good to know Palutena has someone else she can trust, except us. I think... she's trying to forget, as long as we're here." at that, he left. Both Robins looked at each other, feeling guilty all of a sudden.

"I can't believe something like that happened to them. I guess it was selfish to think we were the only ones affected by a great Evil." the other Robin nodded. "But I found it strange that the referred to this Chaos Kin as an 'it'. I thought 'it' was a 'he'."

Pondering over the words on their way back, she came to an conclusion. "Maybe the Chaos Kin is like Grima: It's genderless, but prefers male pronouns and such. I mean-" she gestured to both of them. "-we are Grima. And Grima was male until it possessed my body from the future..."

Nodding in agreement, the other Robin smiled slightly. "Well, what now? What are we going to do?"

Looking questioningly at him, Robin shrugged her shoulders. "I'll go look after Palutena; by this time she should be done with her bath."

The other Robins gaze was fixated on something female Robin couldn't see; something that was already gone by the time she looked. "I'm going... I have to look into something. Let's meet later, good?" clasping his hand on her shoulder as a good-bye, Robin left swiftly into the direction of the mysterious thing he faced. Sighing to herself, Robin continued her way to the goddess' room, thinking how distant Robin sometimes was. _So am I, though._

Arriving at the goddess' room, Robin tried to open it, only to be met with resistance. After trying for a couple of seconds, the lock sprang open; leaving a startled Robin behind. _Master Hand must've forgotten to oil it._ Opening the door with ease, the female tactician stepped in, closing it again behind her, so as to keep onlookers outside. Noticing the unusually dim room, she searched for the tell-tale form of the goddess of light. Palutena was in the middle of her room, with her back to Robin, not noticing the intruder. Her wet hair was wrapped into a towel, leaving her back free of the usual masses of flowing grass green hair. With a quick glance at herself, Robin had to admit, Palutena sure had the looks of a goddess. The only thing marring that beauty was the long red gash across her right shoulder blade.

Wait...

...

_Long red gash!?_

Robin gasped in astonishment, her hand covering her mouth in shock. Sadly, this alerted Palutena to her presence, who whipped around, also shocked, her hair falling out of the towel and into it's rightful place, covering the scar.

"Robin?! What are you doing in my room?!" Palutena's shock soon turned to anger. "I locked the door!"

Robin, finally out of her paralysis, glanced sheepishly back at the door. _No wonder it was resisting... curse Gaius and Anna for teaching me how to open locked doors!_

Turning back to the goddess, Robin noticed two things: Firstly, she was still naked, and second, there was also a wound on her front; from her left shoulder down to her right breast. Palutena, noticing where Robin was looking, covered herself with the remaining towel. Glancing aside, she murmured. "I guess it's too late now to ask you to go, huh...?"

Surprised by her sudden shift in attitude, Robin only nodded. Her mind was whirling, trying to piece together the bits and pieces of information she gained over the last week. It was illogical, the wounds were never there whenever Palutena fought in matches or when she was running around once again in her 'Zero-Suit', as the other Robin put it. Yet, the wounds couldn't be fresh; or else they'd be bleeding, since the gashes looked deep. Then how on earth...?

"Magic." Looking up surprised, to find Palutena sitting on her bed, arms wrapped around the gash lightly. Robin must've zoned out and Palutena must've seen her questioning look (or simply read her mind). She continued: "I use magic to cover them up, since they don't heal anymore. Sadly." looking down, the goddess sighed. "I don't normally lift the magic, but I'm feeling incredibly exhausted these last few days. I thought I locked the door, but apparently not, since you entered."

Finally, Robin found her common senses again, muttering, "I'm sorry."

Shaking her head, Palutena replied. "Don't be. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Ironic, isn't it? Others are proud of their scars, showing them off, and here I am, hiding them with magic." she sighed again. Unwinding from her pose, Palutena motioned besides her, prompting Robin to sit down, before she re-assumed her position. Walking over slowly, she remembered what Dark Pit said earlier: _...all of us have scars; _and with a soft voice, she asked, "Has this to do with this Chaos Kin guy?"

Palutena's eyes became glazed, and with a croaked voice she asked. "...how...?"

Taking a deep breath, Robin said, "Dark Pit told me about it. I heard ...Phosphora mention it, the last time I visited Chrom. From your reaction, I think he must've been terrible. Was he.. some sort of lover?"

"Lover?!" eyes going wide, Palutena let out a mocking laugh. "Ha, if only! Then I could've dealt with it! How did you get this absurd idea?!"

"Dark Pit said something about 'together for three years' so I just thought..."

"Together! More like being possessed for three years, Robin!" Robin let out a small gasp.

Burying her face in her hands, the goddess continued with her gruesome tale with a heart wrenching quality to her voice, and Robin could only watch her friend. "The Chaos Kin is a soul-stealing, body-possessing monster! It managed to get a hold of me, let me do terrible things. I... I had banished Pit from Skyworld, destroyed entire villages. I... I couldn't do anything to stop it; I was completely powerless! I- " her voice cracked. "I almost killed my... my friends, almost ki-killed Pit... And do you know what the worst part was?!" Glancing Robin straight into the eyes, the tears were now flowing freely on the goddess' cheek. "I remembered every. Single. Word. Everything I said, everything I did; I still remember it so clearly as if it was yesterday. Insulting Pit... calling him worthless, useless... t-telling him I don't need him anymore... The Chaos Kin reveled the fact that I was in pain... cackling and laughing... devouring my soul... chipping away at me..." now she was looking past Robin, a distant gaze in her eyes. "I-I felt my soul being eaten away... slowly... it was torture, Robin. Torture. I was being violated in the most... terrible way a-anyone could ever imagine..."

At this point, the tactician was crying herself; how could anything do something this terrible to someone? This was far worse than what she'd experienced; far worse. The goddess was crying and shaking almost uncontrollably, caught in the depth of her nightmare. That's when Robin did the only thing she could think of: she wrapped her arms around the other woman, giving her a comforting hug like she'd always do to little Lucina when she had a nightmare. Her maternal instincts kicked in, and Robin rocked Palutena, muttering small nonsense until the goddess had calmed down. Petting her still damp hair, she smiled a sad small smile. "...better?"

Palutena sniffled, "Better." brushing a loose strand out of her face, she glanced sideways, blushing. "I don't know why, but I feel a lot better, actually. Thank you, Robin."

Smiling, the tactician held the goddess' hand. "Sometimes it's just better to let loose to all of those negative feelings. If you keep everything bottled up, you'll only break. Trust me, I know."

Nodding, Palutena replied, "Is this an order, grandmaster?" smiling slightly.

"No, a request as a friend and sister, goddess."

They passed a few more minutes in silence, until Robin spoke up again, this time serious. "Palutena?"

"Hm?" green eyes gazed curiously into grey ones.

"I noticed that you... well, that you simply act. This whole flirting thing isn't you, is it? It's some cope mechanism for you."

Sighing sadly, the goddess stood up, facing Robin again. "All of this-" she mentioned to herself, "-isn't me anymore. You're right, it _is_ – partly – a cope mechanism. I thought that I could simply forget what happened, yet always whenever I look into the mirror, I see ...some woman that looks like me, but is not me. And every day I am reminded of my failure." sighing again, the green haired goddess begun pacing the room. Robin, still sitting on the bed, pondered over her words. "... if it isn't you, then show us your true self. The small glimpse we got of you left a pretty good impression, after all." _mostly on Zelda though..._

Smiling to herself, Robin added, "I'm sure Pit would very much like that."

Blushing, Palutena also smiled. "Yeah, will do. Look out though, I'm still flirty. I might just steal Chrom away."

And finally, both women burst out laughing, feeling relief wash over them. "I did mean it with Pit, you know? You got great material there, mind you. And he knows you he'd-"

"Alright there, matchmaker. I know what you're planning."

"Y-you do?" and again, Robin was speechless that someone found out their master plan of Supporting and Pair up. The light goddess simply rolled her eyes, "Many know about it, mind you. But I might just simply follow along for once."

And faster than Kirby when he heard the word 'food', Robin was showed out of Palutena's room. Looking surprised at the goddess, who shrugged. "I still have something important to do."

"What?! I thought you were feeling bad! Shouldn't you rather stay in your room?!"

Shaking her head, she shrugged again. "I am. But I survived the whole week, no? And this is really important. I promised, after all. Good-night, Robin!"

And the door was closed shut.

"...well then, I guess I have to find Robin."

And finding him she did, quarter an hour later, in the study with one of the mysterious feathers that belonged to Falco, but didn't. Leaning in the door frame, she looked over at her count-_cousin, _who was scribbling into his tome. "Well, mister detective, what did you find out?"

Looking up from his notes, he answered, "Sit down first. I found out two parts of the mystery." motioning with the blue feather to the chair next to the sleeping Duck Hunt Dog. After having seated herself, Robin asked, "Well? I'm listening."

Clearing his throat, he continued. "Alright. So, we assumed these feathers were from Falco since we found them in the study after Palutena left. And because they are blue."

Robin nodded in agreement.

"When I left so suddenly earlier I actually followed one of the Mii-Fighters, a gunner girl, who had a blue feather in her hand. She was on her way to Master Hand. When she entered his office, I picked the lock -_thank the gods Henry showed me how to- _and I slid in silently, listening to their talk."

"So this is the Master Hand part?"

Robin nodded. "Yes, it is. And you won't believe what they talked about."

"What about?"

"Palutena is teaching the Mii-Fighters – with Falco's help – how to write and read."

This didn't surprise Robin too much, since she already knew, from her talk barely half an hour ago, that Palutena wouldn't actually _do_ it. But still "Writing and reading?- Oh, so that's why-"

"-blue feathers, yes. Falco simply didn't want to admit it, being the prideful avian he is."

_Well, that much makes sense._ "And about Master Hand?"

"I'm getting to it, I'm getting to it. Palutena wanted better rooming for the Mii-Fighters, so that they don't need to always come to the mansion by bus. They were apparently in a heated discussion about the subject -with Palutena offering to help build the new complex or something- when she turned pale, excused herself and teleported away. Master Hand was just surprised, so he didn't even really notice you, apparently. Robin, hey Robin?"

Robin had stopped listening at the 'she went pale' part, suddenly very worried. How had the goddess looked when she barged into her room? Sure, the gashes were pretty distracting but...

...hadn't she also looked pale?

_I don't normally lift the magic, but I'm feeling incredibly exhausted these last few days._

Exhausted she'd said!

_I thought I locked the door, but apparently not, since you entered._

Had she meant with magic?

"Oh no..." Robin's expression grew dark. The male Robin's look turned confused.

"Oh no what? Robin?" piercing grey eyes met confused ones.

"Palutena's running low on magic!" panic crept into the females voice.

"Low on magic... how- oh no indeed, you don't mean...?"

"A magic burn out? Yes I do." Burn outs of the magical type were very rare occurrences. Robin herself had only had one in her entire life, when she tried mastering the very rare tome. She used up so much magic that her body couldn't replenish it anymore and she felt sick for days. If what Palutena said was true, she's been keeping herself on _low_ for a very long while; at least a week, if not longer. "As a goddess she should have a very high magic level, but..." _but if she has to keep up her 'make up' constantly, no matter what __and__ if she has to fight like that- _"Gods, and we put her into the team-battle tournament and the fights after that, since she came till the semi finals! If she was running low already then, then... then..."

Robin felt a warm pair of hands on her own, reassuring her. "Then We'll have to find her. Now. She could crack and collapse any time now. Duck Hunt, let's go!"

The dog lifted his head at the voice, jumping up and ready to go. _Together_.

The three of them ran outside and asked everyone if they saw Palutena. But she had completely vanished. They looked in the living room, the dinner hall, the library, the training room and Master Hands office, but the green haired woman was nowhere to be seen.

"Wait!" Robin cried suddenly. Both dog and male tactician halted, looking puzzled.

"Why?"

Taking a deep breath, Robin asked, "What day is today?"

"Thursday, why?"

_I knew it!_ "Because she went to the Assist Trophies today."

"Right! Every Thursday night! What are we waiting for, then? Hurry up!"

Both made a mad dash to the outbuilding, startling some of the younger Smashers.

"I hope we're not too late..." Robin glanced at Robin. "What makes you think so?"

"Well, when I went to her room, the door was magically locked, but I opened it. With little to no resistance." His look grew grim. "Then she must've used up too much magic already. We have to-"

"ROBIN!"

Both tacticians halted their run, looking it the direction of the sound. Chrom came running up to them, looking slightly pale. The ylissean exalt came to a stop mere inches from male Robin, breathing heavily. "Palutena – collapsed... building...hurry."

"Chrom! Calm down, take a deep breath and then tell us what happened." his wife steadied him by the shoulders, willing him to calm down. After taking a deep breath, he started again. "Palutena suddenly collapsed! We were talking just fine and then- then-"

"Breathe, Chrom." the other Robin quipped in.

"Right, sorry. We were talking and she suddenly collapsed. Midna and Phosphora are looking after her; she's in the Assist Trophy building. Hurry!"

Letting go of her husbands shoulder, Robin straightened up. "Robin?"

"Hm?" he turned to her.

"Go, get Doctor Mario and Pit; I'll look after Palutena. Chrom, let's go!"

"Right!"

Both ran into the direction of the building, while the other Robin stayed a second longer. "Duck Hunt, go find Pit; I'll look after the Doc." The dog barked an affirmative and left in the general direction of Pit's scent. _Friend. Together._ Robin muttered an 'I hope she's okay', before he too, ran off.

"Robin?" Chrom looked over worriedly to his wife. She didn't acknowledge his presence, but he pressed on. "I found out about why Palutena visited us in the past. Actually, she visited me today."

Robin stopped abruptly. _I might just steal Chrom away. _But she wouldn't, would she? "Why?"

He tugged at the hem of her clothing, urging her to start running again. "She's helping us, Robin."

Taking another deep breath, he continued, "There are many Assist Trophies that run a country or a village. She visits us, helps us. Master Hand doesn't allow us Assist Trophies to go back home, but some like me or Midna have a country to rule, so we need to look after it. She talks with us and then she opens up a portal – she called it door – which takes us home for six days, so that we can look after everything."

They had already entered the building, now the only thing left was to look after Chrom's room.

Robin hissed. "That idiot! She was running low on magic and she still – she collapsed when she was trying to open the door, no?"

Chrom nodded. "Yes, why...?"

Robin sighed. "Because she has a magic burn out."

His eyes widened and he asked, "Like when you were trying to master the new tome?", when they reached his door. She nodded curtly and opened the door.

Robin was met with a sight she'd rather not see. The goddess was lying on the bed, wrapped up in a dozen blankets but still shivering. Her majestic wings – normally made out of light – had completely materialized and were wrapped around her small frame. They looked like they could use a good new preening; some were loose, slowly falling out. Midna was standing beside her, out of her imp form for the first time since the beginning of the grand tournament, with a worried look on her face. Robin noticed she was looking at the goddess' neck; where her hair parted ways to reveal the gash, now completely visible. Robin bit her lip. Phosphora was sitting on the desk near the bed, her hand over the goddess head; silent chanting could be heard – with seemingly no effect, apparently, if you were to go by the nymphs pained face.

Midna had finally taken notice of the newcomers', as she nudged Phosphora gently, who stopped her chanting. "...Robin..."

Robin had to bite back a gasp. The nymphs eyes were hallow and tear struck and she was trembling slightly. "Phosphora, Midna." acknowledging both, she made her way over to Palutena, Chrom staying by the door to alert the doctor. Her hand ghosting over the goddess' face, Robin withdrew it, cradling it with the other. _She's burning!_

Phosphora looked at the woman, asking silently, "Do you know what happened to her?"

Nodding, Robin explained, "She has a magic burn out; she used up all of her magic. By trying to channel more, she knocked herself out."

"How can a goddess use up all of her magic?!" the twilight princess' expression was unreadable. The nymph on the other hand, seemed to understand it. She whispered, "It's because of the Chaos Kin, no?"

"Yes."

"Curse it! Damn it, damn it, damn it!" by now, the nymph was fighting back more tears, hands balled into fists and shaking. Midna put a comforting hand on the Assist Trophy, smiling sadly. They lapsed into a painful silence after that, not knowing what to say.

It was broken by the door opening.

"...La...dy Palutena?" the small whisper echoed painfully through the room, nobody daring to look at the angel. Midna moved to the side as Pit entered the room fully, followed by a heavy-breathing dog. _So Robin split up, huh? I hope he arrives soon._

"Lady Palutena, what happened? Are you... alright?" It was heartbreaking to hear how his voice cracked, with each syllable she didn't respond. Robin knew he was trying to open a telepathic connection, but Palutena wouldn't – couldn't – answer. Pit stood in Midna's place, still talking silently to the goddess. He caressed her face hesitantly, like it was made out of glass. Robin repeated her earlier words. "She... has a magic burn out, Pit. She won't be waking up anytime soon, I'm afraid."

He looked at her, dull eyes seemingly lost. He was about to say something, when the doctor finally arrived. Doctor Mario came in, followed by Robin and Mewtwo. He ushered everyone out, with the exception of the two who followed him, who went in. Robin looked relieved. "She'll be alright now."

The dog whimpered, as everyone waited for the doctor to come out. He did, but only after five agonizing minutes, in which Robin could've sworn Pit would go crazy.

"She's in a stable condition. Robin explained to me what was going on as best as he could."

Everyone let out a breath they didn't knew they were holding.

"Mewtwo teleported her and Robin to the infirmary, I'll be joining them in a few minutes."

He looked over at Midna and Phosphora. "Both of you need rest. Go back to your room, please."

They nodded, looking extremely exhausted. _They tried to heal her with magic._

"The rest of you can follow me to the infirmary."

Chrom and the Duck Hunt Dog followed immediately after Doctor Mario, but Pit held Robin back. She looked surprised at him. "Don't you want to hurry?"

He shook his head and blinked once; his eyes so _full_ of _raw emotion. "_I... thank you, Robin."

She looked confused at him. "For what?"

"For... everything. For looking after Lady Palutena, I guess. She _changed_, when we arrived here. It was strange... but I guess we wanted a new start after... well, after. Do you know why she covered up her scars? Because she didn't want anyone asking: _How did that happen?_ We didn't want to remember..." he inhaled deeply, calming his shaky voice. "It was terrible for all of us, but I... it hit her the hardest. I – We all wish to make things undone; but what happened happened, sadly. Thank you for understanding, Robin."

With those words, Pit ran after Chrom and Doctor Mario, leaving Robin to ponder his words. _Thank you for understanding, Robin._

How could Pit know all of this? He thanked her. He –

_He thanked me! Does this mean he knew we talked, or does it mean that he managed to open a telepathic connection?_

Shaking her head, Robin finally ran after the others, not wanting to be late.

In the end she was late, since Doctor Mario and Pit were already in the room, only Chrom still being outside. He motioned with his head to the door. "They are waiting for you, since you have the best overview." Robin thanked him with a quick kiss and entered the hospital room. Doctor Mario was standing there, with a white clipboard in his hands, taking notes. The Duck Hunt Dog was laying his head near a still-unconscious Palutena, whimpering silently. Robin was standing besides the doctor, peering at his work, with a motionless face. And finally, Pit was sitting on a chair besides the dog, holding her hand and glancing into Robins direction. She walked past him, trying not to look at the unnaturally pale face of the goddess, and stood still in front of the doctor.

"How...is she?"

the doctor looked up and – with a sigh- placed his pen on the counter. Flipping the sheets over, he explained, "She knocked herself out, as you put it. The magic she tried to use was not there, and by forcefully channeling the little remains she had, she depleted it completely. You could say that her magic was like a wound, slowly bleeding out, draining her. If I understood it correctly, you people- " he motioned at both tacticians and the angel, "- have something like a magical core which contains all of your magic. Zelda once told me. Is that right?"

"Yes, we do. The extent of the 'core' is based upon our own magical capabilities. The smaller the core, the less magic a person is able to sustain, produce and control."

The doctor nodded. "Yes, so, Palutena here used up everything. I already told the other two, but I'll tell it to you, also: the process of regenerating magic is very slow. If she's lucky, it'll only take a few months, if not a few years."

Robin gasped. Not being able to use magic for a week was already hard on her, but months? Especially if someone were so reliant on magic like, say, a goddess. "But-"

"No buts, young woman. She's lucky that there wont be any kind of lingering drawbacks. I sent Mewtwo after Master Hand, he'll inform him that Palutena will be sitting out on all of the matches and tournaments for at least a months time. God knows she'll need the rest."

Another whimper was heard from the dog, and Robin wondered – not for the first time – how much the animal was capable of understanding. And she also wondered how her friend will be able to live like that. Especially if-

"Doctor...?"

"Hm?"

"What about the scars? If they're not kept clean, they'll get infected if it comes to worst. And also..."

_Everyone will be asking how those got there._

Doctor Mario seemed to think this over, as he put his hand on his forehead, furrowing his brow. Robin glanced questioningly at Robin, who mouthed 'I'll tell you later' back. She heard another whimper and glanced back, seeing that Pit had grabbed roughly onto the dogs fur. _He must've pet him and then grown rigid. _

"I was actually wondering what those scars were. Pit simply wouldn't tell, and Robin knew nothing of them. I tried treating them, but it didn't work. I have to ask you, if you know, can you tell? Knowing the source greatly increases my ability to heal the wound."

Robin bit her lip, contemplating, not knowing if she should tell or not. That decision was taken by Pit however, when he spoke – for the first time since she entered the infirmary.

"They're from some …_thing_... called the Chaos Kin. Rather than scars, they are curse. Reminding us of the failure we accomplished over the three years." Nodding, the doctor spoke softly, choosing his next words carefully. "Even a curse can be broken; splintered into single spell-parts. How can you break this one...?"

Snorting in frustration, the angel answered, "Simply. You can't."

"But-" the doctor interjected, but by this time Pit had grown angry. He shouted, "How can you heal a devoured soul?!"

"...by the gods..." Robin and Doctor Mario looked appalled, while Pit was breathing heavily, trying to contain his anger. After finally calming down a little, he smiled weakly, again with a broken gleam in his eyes. "Please, don't ask anymore, okay? I ...don't think I can tell you. Please, just leave it."

Defeated, he sat back down on his chair, again petting the dog's head and again holding the goddess' hand. Doctor Mario looked at Robin, who sighed. She won't tell them what happened, that was Palutena's job.

Over the course of the next few hours, nobody spoke to the angel anymore and the dog would snap at everything that came into his comfort zone around the bed and the angel. The doctor let all of them stay, leaving on occasion and checking on other Smashers. Robin made himself comfortable on the counter, while Robin choose a chair slightly to her cousin's left. She left once, telling Chrom it was alright to leave and then went to get everyone a drink. She even brought Palutena one, hoping that the goddess would wake up soon. Master Hand visited later, speaking his condolences and officially relieving Palutena of attendance in the tournament. Mewtwo soon came strolling in, in tow with Zelda, Bowser and Dark Pit. Zelda broke down and cried, while Bowser told Pit that he'd take over the Mii-Fighters' teachings with Falco. After those two had left, Dark Pit, who stayed silent over the meeting, bowed his head, muttering something in a language both Robins' identified as ancient Greek, but couldn't understand it. Pit replied with a forlorn expression and – both turning simultaneously; one pair of dulled blue and one pair of vivid red – motioned with his head in the direction of the tacticians. Dark Pits expression grew even more scornful and he stared unbelievingly at Pit. "vυv;"

"ναί."

Dark Pit grumbled and muttered a 'Thank you' to both tacticians before swiftly turning around and leaving. Both looked dumbfounded at Pit, who smiled his first real smile in a long time, albeit a small one. "He's not good at expressing his feelings. You'll have to excuse him." Both nodded. "He's also saying that he'll forgive you for asking him."

The room was silent after that, again. Twilight turned into a full moon and the doctor was putting his medicinal products into their rightful place in the next room. Both Robins were about to call it a night, when a small cough echoed trough the room. Everyone jumped at the sound. The dog whined once again, Robin rushed to get Doctor Mario from the other room, Robin hurried to the goddess' side and Pit squeezed her hand, trying to reassure her. _Or himself?_

"Palutena." the tacticians gaze was cold. The goddess switched from smiling weakly at Pit to looking sheepishly at Robin. "H-hello, Robin."

Fortunately, the lecture Robin was about to give her friend was interrupted by Doctor Mario, who shooed her to the side. "Mama mia, Palutena! Never scare us like this again! We were worried!"

"I'm sorry..."

He shook his head, explaining to the patient what happened. Robin observed her friend throughout, noting how her face turned from mild curiosity to a terrified look.

"I...can't use magic anymore?"

"I'm afraid so," the doctor nodded, "you'll have to keep away from using magic for at least a month, and after that, you only can use small amounts. It's for your own health. And also, -" he glanced worriedly at Pit, "- you'll have to be very careful with those ...scars of yours. You are physically weaker than before."

Looking down, Palutena muttered, "I guess that's what I get for overtaxing myself..."

"Exactly. And now, Robins." Mario's double turned around to the tacticians. "I need both of you to help me with something." Glancing at each other and shrugging, they followed the doctor back into the side room, the dog tagging along – leaving angel and goddess some time alone.

"What do you need us for, doc?" Robin was putting some pills into a shelf, while the doctor looked deadpan at her. "Obviously they needed some time alone. Something like that is a lot to stomach."

Nodding in agreement Robin continued silently, until she noticed that Robin wasn't helping. Glancing at her cousin-counterpart, she saw him looking through the door slot.

"Robin? What are you doing?"

"Looking if they S-Support or not, obviously. Right, Duck Hunt?"

The dog, who was also glancing through the slot, barked. Doctor Mario looked over at Robin, who was already at the slot, peering through. With a sigh, he opened the door a little more, looking himself, while whispering: "You two are crazy romantics, you know."

Robin, still staring intently at the whispering pair -while Pit moved his forehead against hers- whispered back. "It's not crazy. A Paired couple has a way better chance overall in statistics."

"You do this to almost everyone!"

At this, both glanced back at the doctor. "Do really _that_ many notice?!"

"Uhu."

"Well, whatever – _look_!"

The goddess leaned up slightly, clasping the angel's lips in a chaste kiss. His wings were twitching slightly, but other than that, he seemed to comply.

Robin's eyes shone brightly. "S-Support accoplish- hey!" The door was closed shut. Doctor Mario looked smugly at the two tacticians. "Now, now. You got what you wanted, so stop bothering those two."

"B-But we wanted to see the proposal..."

The doctor raised an eyebrow. The tacticians gulped. "Well, we're off now, it's getting late. See you tomorrow, doc!" Robin dragged her cousin-counterpart with her, out of the back door. No Smasher messes with their doctor if they want treatment later. After the tacticians left, Doctor Mario glanced at the dog. He was still staring almost fondly at the closed door, before turning around and wandering off.

_Together._

**A/N: So this is what comes out of my mind after reading the Smashbros-Headcanons xD**

**This set quite a few new records for me: My longest One-Shot, my longest written work of fiction as of yet, my first fic not from the perspective of either Pit or Palutena. My first fic from Robin's view, my first fic to be written in an all-nighter...I think you get it :DD**

**Thumbs up for the Duck Hunt Dog without his duck companion, I completely forgot him.**

**Thumbs up for Headcanons!**


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